(from the May 1970 edition of The Hallmark)

Field Station, Taiwan, is a tenant unit located at Shu Lin Kou Air Station. The station is operated by the 6987th Security Group, under the command of the Air Force Security Service. It is a tri-serviceinstallation with representative groups of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

The station facilities are more modern and complete now than when the installation was first established in 1955 as a tent city.

Shu Lin Kou Station, usually referred to as Linkou, is situated on a mountain plateau approximately 16 miles northwest of Taipei, the capital of the Republic of China. It is a few miles southwest of the Tamsui River and about five miles from the China Sea. At an altitude of 834 feet above sea level, it lies in an area surrounded principally by tea plantations.

The installation takes its name, which is translated "Mouth of the Forest," from a nearly village where many local employees of the station live.A narrow, winding, hard-surfaced mountain road connects the station with metropolitan Taipei and surrounding areas. The entire drive is a breathtaking experience, and the view of the valley is beautiful, especially on a clear day.

Taiwan has a history of playing host to many nations. First named Formosa (meaning beautiful) by the Portuguese in 1590, attempts at settlement met with varied success. At one time or another, the Portuguese, Dutch, Spaniards, Japanese and French attempted to establish shipping ports as a means of exploiting the area.

Japan was perhaps the most successful in colonizing Taiwan. In 1895, China ceded Taiwan to Japan and Japan developed it as a major supplier of rice and sugar. After the defeat of Japan in World War II, Taiwan was turned over to the Chinese Nationalist Government.

In 1949 and 1950, following victories of the Chinese Communists on the mainland, an estimated 2 million Nationalist troops, government officials and other refugees poured onto the island. Taiwan then became the effective territory of the Republic of Nationalist China and the United States entered into a mutual security agreement to defend the island against the Communists. United States assistance was given in two forms, economic and military.

Today, Taiwan is a museum of ancient Chinese tradition. She is perhaps the last home of authentic Chinese culture and her efforts to maintain this precious tradition go hand in hand with the emphasis on education and progress.

The population of Taiwan is predominantly Chinese, and seven major dialects are spoken by these people. The aborigines, numbering about 200,000 are of Indonesian origin and live in the foothills and highlands.

Lowland Taiwan has a warm climate. In the north, ocean currents keep the mean temperature of the coldest month, January, around 58 degrees. Summers are hot and humid, and in the south, winters are warm to hot as well.

On Shu Lin Kou Station, there are a variety of recreational facilities available. They include: a gymnasium and adjacent athletic fields; a Service Club with a game room in a neighboring building; a six-lane Bowling Alley; Base Theater; Library; five-hole pitch and putt course located on an excellent multipurpose recreation area; picnic grounds; and auto, wood, photo, electronics and ceramics hobby shops. The ball field, swimming pool and tennis courts are lighted for night activities.

Approximately six miles from the station on a rolling plateau is a very fine 18-hole golf course, the Linkou International Golf and Country Club is located in Tamsui and the Taipei Club borders the river in the city of Taipei. Excellent arrangements have been made with these country clubs for accommodating golfers, particularly at the Linkou Club.

In maintaining good Sino-American relations, the field station and its detachments are involved in supporting many local charities. Formerly, the main charity was the St. Martin De Porres Hospital which originated as the Chia Yi Clinic. A hospital drive was initiated in January 1963 to replace the inadequate clinic. The new hospital was completed in October 1966. At the hospital's opening ceremonies, the field station was presented a plaque symbolizing everlasting gratitude and friendship for its help in making the hospital a reality.

Since the drive first started in 1963, more than $4,000 has been collected and forwarded to the hospital. In addition, an emergency generator and air conditioner were donated for use in the operating room.

Now that the St. Martin De Porres Hospital has been established, ASA personnel have turned their efforts and concentration to the Chung Hsing Orphanage. It is located in downtown Taipei and houses approximately 80 children. To date, the unit has donated athletic equipment including basketballs, volleyballs, badminton sets and jump ropes. The unit has also donated a washing machine to the school and uniforms for each of the 80 children living at the orphanage. The ASA families have donated many boxes of clothing and in October, a picnic was held at Shu Lin Kou Air Station for all of the children of Chung Hsing.

Rehabilitation of the orphanage, conducted during normal off-duty hours, included installation of window glass, cleaning and interior painting of the orphanage.

All single ASA personnel assigned to Taiwan live in permanent dormitories provided by the host Air Force unit. Since the Air Station is very small, there is no on-post housing for dependents.

The accompanied married personnel of the unit live in Taipei or its surrounding villages. For the most part, living conditions are more than suitable for the Americans living on Taiwan.

The unit, formerly known as the 76th USASA Special Operations Unit, was redesignated Field Station Taiwan on December 15, 1967. This unit has continuously served the Agency well, and its location continues to be the site of an exciting ASA tour.